Conor Jackson Arizona Diamondbacks (11/2/2004)

What’s your baseball philosophy, what got you so far?

Basically I would say just coming and working hard every day. I’m in the cage every day. My philosophy basically is just to hit. I’m a big time cage rat I like to say. My defense is coming along but it’s just kind of repetition and getting comfortable in the outfield, but basically that’s pretty much my philosophy.

Do you have a hitting philosophy?

Hit early, I like to hit early. I don’t like to hit down in the counts but I don’t consider myself a bad down in the count hitter. I just like to find my pitch early and if I don’t get it I’ll take my walks, that’s fine. Pretty much finding a good pitch to hit, a hitter’s pitch, and just take advantage of it.

What are your strengths right now?

Mostly my bat is probably my strength right now.  Like I said, I’m getting better in the outfield, with every day that I play out there I’m learning something new. Right now I think I need to work on getting better in every aspect of the game. That’s pretty much it.

Pitchers throw inside and outside to set you hitters up but do hitters set up pitchers?

Oh yeah, we do all the time.  I think we set up catchers more than the pitchers. If there’s a pitch that you think is maybe a little out I’ll say “Where you got that pitch, is it as far as you’re going to go out there?” That’ll pretty much make the catcher think, “If he thinks I’m going out there he’s probably thinking I’m going to go out there again,” and he’s probably going to call inside fast ball. It’s just little stuff that’s not 100 percent positive every time but every once in a while you’ll be looking for a pitch and you’ll get it. When you get on really good streaks is when you’re not so much seeing the ball big or anything like that, it’s just that you’re getting pitches that you’re looking for in certain counts and you’re taking advantage of them.

It seems there are times when they say this guy has all the talent in the world but he doesn’t seem to go as far as guys with lesser talent, do you think that’s true?

Yes and no, actually no, as a matter of fact.  I think talent in the five tools that those guys, scouts and all those guys, project players to have, projecting what picks are going to go and all that stuff. I don’t know what the statistics are on all those first rounders that are making the big leagues and have a successful career. But I could tell you a lot about the Piazza’s and the guys that are drafted real late. A lot of it’s work ethic. You’re in the cage every day working on stuff and as you get older you mature more and you start learning more about the game. You start picking pitchers’ minds and you start picking hitters’ minds and when you’re around good hitters it kind of, I guess you could say rubs off on you.

Do you think the first round draft picks or high draft picks get more chances?

Yes, I do, for sure, no doubt about it.  I mean you definitely get more opportunities to fail than others.

Every team drafts guys, trades for guys, all to take your spot. How do you approach all the competition at spring training?

You can’t worry about it at all. There’s no doubt about it, you can’t worry about who’s ahead of you, you can’t worry about who’s behind you, you’ve got to go out there and play your game. You’ve got to let your numbers speak for themselves and you have no control over where you’re going to go, where you’re going to start, or how you’re going to do. The only thing you have control over is how you work to get there.

Was there any time in your career you wanted to quit baseball?

Never, not once.

What’s the thing about pro sports you had to learn the hard way that nobody told you about?

It’s a funny story actually, my first strike out in professional baseball. I went to Berkeley, I was a college athlete. College is a lot of hustle, it’s a lot of ra-ra, cheery hustle stuff and that’s good. There’s some aspects of that are good. The first time I struck out in professional baseball I ran back from the batter’s box to the dugout. I got benched. That looks terrible and it really does. It tells the pitcher that “Listen, you got me and you’re going to own me the rest of the day.” I learned that the hard way by getting benched.

How much does chemistry in the clubhouse affect the team?

A lot, I think it does a lot. We have great chemistry in here and I think that’s one of the main reasons we’re winning right now.  I’m a strong believer. Like the Red Sox, I’m a strong believer in chemistry has a lot to do with winning games.

How important is weightlifting?

A lot, it’s very important. I think that’s what got me over the hump in college. I struggled my Freshman year. I hit the weight room and gained about 20, 25 pounds and it really takes your game to another level. You have a lot more room for error.

Do you read the sports pages and scouting reports about you?

No. Every once in a while you’re going to read about yourself but you’ve just got to throw it away pretty much. You just got to throw it in the trash, good or bad. You don’t want your ego getting too big and also if they’re writing negative things about you, you don’t want to take that to heart. I mean if anything the negative stuff is more motivation to achieve.

How do you handle the fans, loudmouths, people screaming all the time, and how does that affect you with signing autographs for kids?

Signing autographs for kids I have no problem with, I’ll sign anybody’s. Autographs aren’t a problem.  The guys that come to the game, it’s part of the game. Sometimes they get out of control. You have to realize we’re not going to their work and harassing them, and this is our work pretty much. I understand it’s part of the game, we all understand that but sometimes they get a little out of control, a little ridiculous in their comments, but you’ve just got to brush it off.

What about the umpires, how do you handle the umpires?

Respectfully. There are definitely times where you don’t agree. That’s part of the game as well. You’re going to have your incidents where you’re having a bad day already, you’re sitting on two strike outs and it’s a close call 3-2, you don’t agree with them, and you’re going to blow up. You might even get tossed, but you’ve got to understand that they’re just doing their job as best as they can. It’s not a machine back there calling balls and strikes. They’re going to miss some here and there, both ways pitchers and hitters.

How about brush backs, knockdowns and retaliations, what do you think about that?

It’s part of the game. If they hit a guy on purpose you’ve got to hit a guy. It’s part of the game. It’s bad that it has to come to that, especially when you get hit above the waist, above the neck area in the head, that’s a little bush league, it’s a little childish, but it’s part of the game. You got to live with it. It’s what you kind of signed up for.

Any thoughts on being traded?

No, I love the spot I’m in. I’d love to stay with the Diamondbacks for as long as I play but I know it’s probably not the scenario. I love the organization and they have done nothing but treat me with the utmost respect and utmost dignity. I can’t say enough about the organization.

What would you tell somebody in high school on down about professional baseball?

Go to college, go to college that’s number one.